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The “Summertime Sadness” hitmaker has always looked up to the Hole frontwoman and rock 'n' roll legend, so feels proud to count her among her friends these days:

“Courtney Love's a big inspiration. I like her, I talk to her a lot. I just went her show ... when she was playing in London. I like people who are similar to her, like Joni Mitchell types or Stevie Nicks, who are both strong female characters.”

The 27-year-old star was strongly influenced by jazz legends Nina Simone and Billie Holliday on her second album Ultraviolence, and hopes she has done their musical legacy justice. Speaking on France Inter radio station's Laura Leishman Project show, she said, “It has a Pacific coast feel to me, I think it's guitar driven, there are references to Nina Simone. That's why I ended the track listing with a cover of 'The Other Woman.' I am inspired by early jazz culture. It's a West coast jazz fusion with a little bit of East coast fever.”

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The “Skyfall” singer has been busy in the studio, and fans won't have to wait long for her much-anticipated new record with reports it has been completed and is ready for release.

“The album is written, recorded and finished. Theoretically it could be released tomorrow if she wanted,” a source said.

It is said Adele and her label are considering bringing out the album with little fanfare and no “publicity campaign,” in a similar way to how Beyonce released her self-titled record earlier this year. “The plan is to release internationally on iTunes as a complete surprise without any previous promotion or build-up publicity campaign. The shock tactics worked amazingly well for Beyonce and the feeling is Adele's new album is so widely anticipated it doesn't need a long promotional build-up,” the insider added.

The “Purple Rain” hitmaker gave one lucky reporter from the Minneapolis Star Tribune a preview of his as yet untitled upcoming album, which is expected to be released later this year and includes a “rare rap song” he recorded with the British pop sensation. Prince went on to reveal he wants to release the track, described as “aggressive and menacing,” as soon as possible for it to stay current because “time is money” for celebrities like Rita who could make cash “walking out of the house wearing a certain kind of makeup or sunglasses.”

Nicki Minaj has collaborated with Drake for her new album The Pink Print.

The “Pills N Potions” hitmaker has confirmed there will “definitely” be a track with Drake on the upcoming record because she loves his music: “I'm a massive fan of [Drake], that's my baby. And I hope and pray we'll have [a collaboration] on there. I think that we'll definitely have one on there. We're supposed to meet up this week to get some stuff crack-a-ling in the studio. I think there'll be another feature on the album that will blow people away. I'm super excited about that, too, but it's obviously a secret!”

Nicki has released the track “Pills N Potions” as her lead single from the album, with a stripped back video featuring rapper The Game, who she claims was “dope” to work with:

The former Smiths star, who is midway through his US tour, canceled a date earlier this week and had been forced to postpone another gig at Atlantic City's Revel Casino Hotel last nigt.

The legendary singer, who will release his new album World Peace Is None Of Your Business this month, is adamant he will be back on stage tonight.

“The tour will resume as originally scheduled, without question, at the Boston Opera House on Saturday, June 7,” Morrissey posted on Facebook.

Meanwhile, the singer's opening act Kristen Young has rubbished rumors she had caught the same bug which is why she has been removed from the remaining dates. “@CriminalRecords @RivalEnt@solidcolt I do not have a virus. I had an allergy attack yesterday….and I am now great. But, thanks [sic],” she wrote on Twitter.

The surviving members of the hip-hop group - Michael “Mike D” Diamond and Adam “Ad-Rock” Horovitz - have been handed the payout after winning their legal case against Monster Beverage Corporation, which they sued for the unauthorized use of their music in a video advert.

The commercial featured five of the “Fight For Your Right” hitmakers' songs in a “Beastie Boys Megamix” and a message which read, “RIP MCA” to promote a show in 2012.

The groups' final member Adam “MCA” Yauch, who passed away in the same year after a three-year battle with salivary gland cancer, stated in his will that his likeness or art - which includes the music he made with Beastie Boys - was not to be used in any promotional material. “In no event may my image or name or any music or artistic property created by me be used for advertising purposes,” the document read.

Lorde claims she's working on a new album which is “totally different” than her debut record.

The 17-year-old singer, who achieved global success with her album Pure Heroine, feels she has grown as an artist and writer in the past year and thinks her new material is more mature.

“I think I've learned so much as a songwriter, there's going to be so much of an improvement because of that. I'm working on stuff quite tentatively, it's definitely still at the beginning and yeah, it's totally different,” she said.

The star claims she wrote her debut album about her life in New Zealand before she became famous and people who have always been close to her, whereas her new material looks at a time after she found success and how she is now part of the showbiz world: “I wrote the last album about that world which was the suburb where I grew up and populated by my friends and people who were really familiar to me. Now I'm in a different place every day and I'm with new people every day and it's a different vibe.”

The former Smiths musician is embarking on a series of live gigs this autumn, starting on October 13 in Lincoln and finishing up in Leeds on October 29. The guitarist is expected to play songs from his 2013 solo debut, The Messenger, as well as from his second album, which is due for release around the time of the tour. He will also no doubt be performing fan favorites from The Smiths' back catalogue of hits.

Tickets go on general sale at 9am this Friday.

Johnny recently told NME he was already back in the studio recording his new album, which boasts a London feel: “I think I've got all the songs written now. It's cool. It's got a real London feel, this album. I'm recording it down there at a studio near the river - I want to capture this busy, loud, very modern place.”

Iggy Azalea has blasted her critics for doing nothing with their lives.

The “Fancy” hitmaker, who was bombarded with a stream of negative comments from Nicki Minaj's fans, slammed her haters in a series of angry posts on Twitter yesterday, and also hit back at her own supporters for participating in “disgusting fan wars.”

“Just remember while your all at home online cracking jokes about artists etc that Most of you have done NOTHING. NOTHING! With your lives… Don't flex someone else's achievements. So many of you Internet kids quote the feats of others as if they were your own. And just to clarify for anyone who didn't understand that last statement goes out to people who bully others,” the 23-year-old Australian star tweeted. “Fan wars back and forth and all that s**t is all bulls**t. Someone who's music you love doing great should never be an excuse to be awful to others. That's my point I suppose. I just find it really disgusting.”

The “Happy” hitmaker insists it would be a dream to team up with the “Purple Rain” hitmaker and get into the studio to work on material: “I'd love to work with Prince. I would love to work with Steely Dan, Donald Fagen, I'd love to work with Elton John ... [Prince] makes us wonder why we all do this.”